Facing the Music
by Liselle129
Summary: After the events of Falling for the Falls, Sonny has to come face to face with her costars and defend her actions. Two-shot covering the reactions of the So Random cast plus Marshall. Chapter 2: Zora's Complaint
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sonny with a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: Help! I'm being attacked by plot bunnies! I don't watch this show regularly, but when I saw that Chad and Sonny were finally going on a date in Falling for the Falls, I knew I had to see it, and I'm glad I did! I especially loved the way the self-assured, super-cool Chad Dylan Cooper was reduced to a quivering mass of insecurity by Sonny. It was great! Future episodes may address this, but this is sort of a tag to Part 2. Contains spoilers.

**Over the Falls**

Sonny Munroe was not looking forward to going to the studio on the morning after her second first date with Chad Dylan Cooper. However, she was going to have to face the rest of the _So Random_ cast eventually, so she figured she might as well get it over with.

Bracing herself, she stepped into the prop house, and upon seeing her, her four co-stars formed an imposing line across the room, all looking at her with varying degrees of disapproval.

"Okay, let me have it," Sonny said resignedly. Fairly predictably, Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora all began talking at once. This meant that Sonny was largely able to tune them out while she rehearsed her next move. She caught words like "traitor" and "lie," but most of the tirade was a jumble. Eventually, they wound down, and she grabbed the opportunity.

"I'm sorry, guys," she apologized. "I didn't mean to betray you. I didn't really think of it that way until Nico mentioned it. I mean, the way we arranged to go out in the first place was sort of an accident."

"How do you go on a date by accident?" demanded Grady.

"Well, long story short, I went to ask him if and when Mackenzie and Chloe were ever going to get together," Sonny tried to explain. "But I was so absorbed I didn't use names, so he thought I was talking about him and me, so…he asked me out."

"You didn't have to say yes," said Zora accusingly.

"No, you're right," Sonny agreed. "But I thought, since I gave the Falls a chance and liked it, maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt, too. Then I came back here, and Nico said the only way I could betray you all was to date Chad, so I went back to him and cancelled. When you all barged into my apartment a few nights ago, the reason he was there was to talk me into reconsidering."

"Wait a minute," said Tawni, eyes going wide and voice incredulous. "Chad Dylan Cooper went to your apartment to beg you for a date?"

"Yep," Sonny confirmed, smiling a little at the memory of the previous evening. "Twice!"

"Why?" Tawni asked petulantly, looking ready to have a good sulk. Most likely, she was jealous that Chad had chosen Sonny instead of her. Tawni felt like the world should revolve around her and was convinced that she was the prettiest girl in any room she entered. On the other hand, she had little interest in dating because she didn't care about anyone except herself. It was quite the paradox.

"I honestly have no idea," Sonny admitted. She still didn't understand what it was about her that had caught the attention of the normally self-absorbed Chad Dylan Cooper, not to mention making him into a nervous wreck the other night.

"Look on the bright side," Nico comforted Tawni sympathetically. "You didn't get drenched." Sonny winced involuntarily.

"You're gonna get a lot of mileage out of that one, aren't you?" she commented.

"Oh yeah," they all said at various times, grinning with manic glee. All things considered, Sonny couldn't completely blame them. Chad and his posse had not historically been very nice to this group. She was hoping that would change. If he wanted to keep her around, it had better.

"I'm really sorry I lied to you," she continued. "There were a few times I wanted to tell you the truth, but I just couldn't. I guess I was hoping that it would just be the one date, I'd still think he was a jerk, and that would be the end of it. None of you ever needed to know."

"Okay, so what about the second date?" Zora challenged, stepping forward pugnaciously.

"Technically, it was a second first date," Sonny clarified. "We never really finished the first one."

"Right, because he threw up on you," Grady put in helpfully, before he and Nico collapsed into laughter.

"Thanks, I think we've established that," she said acidly. "Look, he climbed up to my window. He leased a billboard for me. So yeah, I gave him another chance, and I'm glad I did. It was nice. _He_ was nice."

"Hey, I think we're all overlooking what's really important here," Nico interrupted. He held up a small, plastic tray and a piece of paper. "Do you really expect us to pay for this?"

Sonny suppressed a grin. If they'd just minded their own business and stayed off the roof, they wouldn't have found the phony sushi check. She had to admit that it had been a brilliant idea she and Chad had cooked up, and Yoshi had played his part beautifully.

"Of course not," she assured them. "Chad paid ahead of time. Like they were really going to drag a cash register up to the roof of a building. The bill was a total gag." Besides, she never would have allowed him to squirm out of paying for the date that he'd begged her to go on. That would have been _so_ not classy!

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," blustered Grady. "But what about the fact that you flaked out on our science assignment?" Nico nudged him urgently, but the damage was done.

"What are you talking about? I got mine done," she objected, and a second later, her eyes widened with comprehension. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you guys have been procrastinating so that I'd feel sorry for you and help you out?"

"Um…uh…" they both waffled around.

"Yeah, they do it every time," Zora ratted them out without hesitation. Sonny advanced on the two boys, forcing them back, step by step.

"So what you're saying is that it's somehow a betrayal for me to date the star of a show that shares our studio, but you have no problem abusing my generous nature to avoid doing schoolwork?" she asked pointedly.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Grady managed to get out, having the grace to look abashed. "Okay, it sounds really bad."

"All right, fine," Nico gave in. "You date whoever you want."

"Thanks for your _permission_," she bit out. "From now on, you can plan on doing your own projects. _On time_."

"Nice work, idiot," Nico muttered to Grady, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You did a nice job of taking care of them," Zora complimented reluctantly. "But Tawni and I are going to be tougher."

"Are you going to see him again?" asked Tawni.

"Probably," Sonny replied. She still had an ace or two up her sleeve, and she was waiting for the right time to play them. "I might actually like him. I mean, once you get past the attitude, he can actually be kind of…"

"Don't say sweet; don't say sweet," Zora pleaded.

"…sweet," Sonny finished. She moved to the couch and sat down, thinking back over the last couple of days. Chad really had stepped up in ways she'd never thought she'd see from him, and it was just possible that they had something worth pursuing. She was not about to give that up for some stupid rivalry. She just had to keep him away from ready sources of drinking water.

"Ugh, spare me," Zora pleaded, practically gagging. "I do _not_ need the gory details."

"No, but I do," said Tawni suddenly. She sat beside Sonny and took her arm. "You will tell me everything, won't you?"

Sonny stared at her, perplexed at the sudden change in demeanor. Was it possible that there was a real girl in there after all?

"Um, sure…I guess," she said hesitantly.

"Oh good," Tawni enthused. "Ooh! Does this mean I can date his co-stars?"

"I'm not your mom," replied Sonny. "I don't care who you date."

"I'm still not buying it," Zora asserted. She seemed determined to be the one remaining holdout, which Sonny had more or less expected. "What's in it for us?" Sonny smiled to herself. It was time to bring out the heavy artillery.

"Actually, it has occurred to me that you all could gain some advantages from the situation," she said casually. _3…2…1…_

"Like what?" asked Zora suspiciously.

"Well," Sonny dragged out the word as long as she could. "Chad's basically the head of the whole _Falls_ clique, right?"

"Duh," said Tawni.

"So what?" added Zora.

"So as long as we're dating, he's not going to be dissing me or our show, and he won't let the others do it, either."

"Are you saying I might finally get some respect around here?" Nico interjected. He and Grady had crept closer to rejoin the conversation.

"Don't expect miracles," Zora quipped, rolling her eyes. "What else?" Sonny's smile broadened. They were taking the bait, and she'd saved the best for last. She allowed a dramatic pause to elapse before she answered.

"If I keep dating Chad, the odds are good that he'll be making a fool of himself on a fairly regular basis," she explained. "You'll all have front row seats for the entertainment."

"She does have a point," Tawni conceded, grabbing the most recent copy of _Tween Magazine_ and once again displaying the cover. "We were thinking of framing this and hanging it up somewhere."

"You know, I'm in that picture, too," Sonny complained.

"Yeah, but you can hardly tell," asserted Tawni. "All that water obscures your face!"

"Ugh, fine, whatever."

"Don't forget the billboard," Grady added. "I mean, Chad did that _on purpose_!"

"Think about it," Sonny urged, getting back on track. "No more pranks where you have to be worried about getting caught. No more elaborate planning or retaliation. You can just sit back and watch the show." She'd given this a lot of thought, and while she wouldn't go out of her way to embarrass Chad – that would be wrong – if he did it to himself, he was fair game. That seemed like a reasonable compromise to her, and she hoped he would agree.

"I'll kind of miss planning the pranks," Nico sighed. "Still, this could be fun. All right, I'm in."

"Me too," said Grady.

"Me three," said Tawni. Zora, seeing that she was outnumbered, slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"You're good," she admitted, wagging her finger at Sonny. "Okay, we're on board, but I'm going to be watching you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sonny responded. She stood up and made for the exit, happy that this interview was over. "Pull together this week's sketch ideas. I'll be back in 15."

"If you're going to see Chad, make sure to take a splashguard," Grady suggested.

"I'm sure we could find a plastic bag for you," Nico added. Sonny paused in the act of opening the door and turned to face everyone.

"All right, stop it!" She'd hoped they'd have this all out of their system by now, but that apparently wasn't the case, and she felt her temper flaring. "Isn't it bad enough that the guy has his most embarrassing moment displayed at every newsstand and grocery store in America all week? How would you feel – any of you – if that was you? I've stood here through the pranks and the insults, and that's one thing. But kicking a man when he's down is just…low!" Too angry to even let them respond, she swept out the door and slammed it behind her, staring at it for a few moments while she took a deep breath or two.

When she turned around, it was to see Chad himself standing there, hands in his pockets, gazing curiously at her.

"Oh, hi," she said, calling forth a smile, although it felt forced.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you, but I didn't really want to see them," he gestured eloquently toward the door.

"Well, I can understand that," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "They're thinking of framing that magazine cover."

"Great," he said sardonically, and Sonny shrugged. Just a few days ago, spending time with him tended to make her tense, but now, his presence was having a calming effect on her.

"As long as they don't blow it up to poster size, I guess I can live with it," she said. She moved a little ways down the hallway, and there was an awkward pause. Chad pulled at his right ear.

"So…did you just defend me in there?"

"Maybe," she said nonchalantly. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I want to make it clear that I don't need a girl to fight my battles for me, but…thanks."

"You're welcome," Sonny responded, now able to give him a genuine smile.

"They're never gonna let that go, are they?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll run out of water puns in a couple of weeks, and everyone can move on." She paused, tilting her head. "You know, you sort of brought this on yourself. You reap what you sow."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Right; when would _you_ have ever been to a farm? I mean, if you hadn't always been so rude and insulting to the _So Random_ cast, they wouldn't be enjoying your humiliation now."

"You're not."

"Yeah, well…you've said it yourself. I'm too nice."

"You are," he agreed. Then, he extended his hand. "But I like that. Would the nicest girl in Hollywood like to take a walk?"

"I think she would." With that, the pair went strolling down the corridor, hand in hand. At least, Sonny reflected, she was completely over _Mackenzie Falls_.

* * *

Author's Note: I know that seems like an ending, and it sort of is, but there's actually one more chapter. Coming soon!


	2. Zora's Complaint

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: This chapter essentially serves two purposes. It closes out this story and simultaneously provides a sort of prologue for my next one. I'm planning to call it "Three Little Words," and it should be started within the next two weeks. Most of the first two chapters are in my head already, but they have to share typing time with my Kim Possible story.

**Zora's Complaint**

The entire world had gone crazy. That was the only explanation Zora could come up with for the events of the past two weeks. Chad and Sonny were still dating, and everyone else at the studio and in the press seemed to have gone back to their usual routine.

An actress from _So Random_ was not supposed to be romantically involved with the star of _Mackenzie Falls_. It was just plain wrong! Why couldn't anyone else see that? Even Zora's cast-mates had decided to accept the situation and move on.

As she saw it, Zora had only one option left, which was why she was striding down a hallway at Condor Studios at this moment. Barely even pausing for a brief knock, she burst into Marshall's office.

"This has to stop!" she exclaimed dramatically. Marshall and his personal assistant just stared at her in perplexity for a pair of heartbeats. Marshall dismissed his assistant before addressing Zora.

"To what, exactly, are you referring?" he asked tiredly, rubbing a hand over his bald head.

"Duh! Chad and Sonny! They've disrupted the natural order of the universe!"

"And how have they managed that?"

"They're dating! They actually seem to like each other. That's not supposed to happen!"

Marshall folded his hands in front of him on his desk and peered at Zora intently. She met his gaze, but his ongoing silence started to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Just because there has long been a rivalry between the two shows doesn't make it inevitable," he said finally. "To be honest, I've been hoping for months that Sonny would find a way to at least tone it down."

Zora didn't believe what she was hearing.

"What are you saying, that you set all of this up?" she demanded, and Marshall gave her a weary smile.

"As tempting as it is to let you think I'm that omniscient, no," he replied. "I was just as surprised as anyone when things happened the way they did. But since they have, I see no reason to change anything."

"But…but how can you say that?"

"You really want to know? Then I'll tell you. Both Chad and Sonny continue to show up at work on time, and they give their all on the set. In fact, Chad's romantic scenes have become heartbreakingly believable, and Sonny's sketch ideas are better than ever. Best of all, this long-standing feud has faded into the background, making my life a lot easier. Peace and tranquility reign. Why would I want to go back to the way things were?"

Zora collapsed into a chair, trying to absorb all of this. Was it possible that her view was just a little too narrow? Could it be that Chad and Sonny were not only good for each other, but good for the studio as well? Come to think of it, Sonny _had_ been a lot funnier lately. And she certainly wasn't as flighty or distracted as she'd been during her brief obsession with _Mackenzie Falls_, or even as she was on that day between accepting a date from Chad and actually going out with him.

Maybe Zora and the others had overstated the whole traitor angle, too. It was patently obvious that Grady was still clandestinely watching _Falls_ on a regular basis. Was there really anything wrong with letting him watch it openly? Could it even be hoped that he would lose interest if it were no longer forbidden?

Taking a larger perspective, the two shows were part of the same business, and they weren't really competing against each other. The shows weren't on at the same time and didn't necessarily draw the same audience. The viewers certainly didn't care about the supposed rivalry, which meant it was all in the actors' heads. In fact, Zora admitted grudgingly, the fan blogs were generally gushing about how cute a couple Chad and Sonny were. There was a lot of buzz about them winning the Best Couple title at the upcoming Tween Choice awards. Surely, that would be good publicity for everyone at Condor.

"So what happens when they break up?" she said finally.

"_If_ that happens," Marshall replied, putting a slight stress on his verbal editing of her preposition, "I assume the rivalry will be back in force, possibly more venomous than before. I'll cross that bridge when and if I come to it. In the meantime, I don't see any advantage in forcing the issue."

"I don't, either," Zora sighed, forced to concede the point. "Thanks for this little talk. You've given me a lot to think about." And unlike the Wicked Witch of the Web, Zora actually intended to consider it all very carefully.

"You know, my office door is always open," said Marshall jovially, standing up to see her out. "But when it isn't, I appreciate a knock."

Zora nodded vaguely and made her way back to her dressing room. While she wouldn't say she was thoroughly convinced, a lot of what Marshall said really did make sense. It seemed there was nothing more to be done but to watch and wait. Maybe, at the end of the day, the universe could take care of itself.

Author's Note: I just want to say that Zora cracks me up. She's the youngest regular on the show, and she's undoubtedly zany, but she sometimes talks like she's 30.

Review responses:

I want to thank DannySamLover20 (I love that pairing, too) and Alyona77 for reviewing the first chapter. I hope you will watch for my next fic! Also, thank you to the people who put this story on their favorites and alerts. It's nice to know that people like it but maybe can't think of anything to say in a review. Catch you next time!


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